Electric air-heating radiator



Feb. 5, 1929.,

R T. BOWLlNG ET AL ELECTRIC AIR HEATING RADIATOR Filed Jan. '7, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet A TTORNEY.

Feb. 5, 1929.

R. T. BOWLING ET AL ELECTRIC AIR HEATING RADIATOR Filed Jan. '7, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 @OETZ- TBow/l'??? Harry L Cob/9 JG//l/T INVENTORS.

A TTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 5, 1929.

UNITED STATES 4PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT T. BOWLING AND HARRY L. COBB, OF FRESNO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNORS TO ELECTRIC HEATING CORPORATION, OF BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA.

ELECTRIC AIR-HEATING RADIATOR.

vOur invention relates to a heat radiator, and more specifically to a device for transforming an intense heat generated preferably by electrical energy and within a small area, to a heat of ay lower temperature and over a much larger area, within a very short period of time. This and other objects are accomplished by means of the device hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 shows a cellular radiator for diiusing the heat. Figure Q is a sectional View of the frame adapted to contain the device showing the electric lheating elements. Fig. 3 is a top View of the device. Fig. 4 is a perspective of the electric heating unit assembly. Figs. 5 and 6 are modified forms of cellular structures.

Asshown in said drawing we have provided a. frame preferably formed of sheet metal, having sides S, top T and bottom Tl, and which is constructed without frontor back closures. A flange 7:2 is on the top of the frame and a flange 73 extends downward therefrom. These flanges strengthen the frame and improve its appearance. lVithin the frame are one or more electric heating elements 9 which are. preferably constructed 0f electric resistance material so that they will become hot when a current of electricity is passed therethrough. For ease in installing the elements there has been inserted within holes in the top and bottom of the frame pairs of bushings 14 constructed of porcelain or other nonconducting material. `Within these bushings are Ainserted terminals 13. Aluminum terminals are prefer able but terminals constructed of other conducting material may be used. The portion of the terminals on the inside of the frame are cup shaped 13a so that when an elementin the form of a stick or rod is inserted, the ends 91 of said elements will be engaged in the cup. The outside ends of the terminals are provided with means 15 for attaching electric Wires Q0 thereto. The combined porcelain bushings and terminals 10 placed in the upper partof the frame 8 are adapted to slide loosely within the box or frame 8, and for the purpose of holding the terminals tightly7 against th-e ends of the elements, we have provided for each element a leafspring 1T which is constructed so that it engages the porcelain bushing at one end and is attached to the top of the box at the other end. The spring 17 is positioned so that its tension end is downward, thus pushing the combined porcelain and terminal l0 against the end of the element 9. A special advantage in this construction is that the spring which functions to hold the electric element in position is not necessarily used to transmit the current of electricity therethrough, as the electric wires 20 are connected directly to the terminals. This feature will be subject of a copending application.

It will be noted that by passing a current of electricity through the elements heat of a high temperature can be produced. For the purpose of transforming this intense heat for use at. a .lower temperature, and greater volume or for diffusing the heat over a larger area, we have surrounded the elef` ments thus heated with a cellular construction similar to well known automobile radiators. Each individual cell of the cellular structure 30 consists of a tube the cross section of which may be hexagonal as shown in Fig. 4, square 36 as shown in Fig. 5, round 3T as shown in Fig. 6, or any other desirable shape, and the assembled cells may be a plurality of individual tubes grouped together with their axes parallel, or the assembly may be made as one unit with transverse holes therethrough or formed of sheetl metal pressed, and positioned together to resemble the cellular structures shown in the drawing. In our invention we have placed a block 31 of the cells on the inside of each side of the frame and the front and the back are enclosed with blocks of the cellular structure designated as 33 and 33a. These blocks of cells should be arranged so that the longitudinal diameters ofthe tubes are all parallel. This form of radiator functions to receive the heat Lfrom the elements and to distribute or dilfuse the heat over the face of the radiator, and when the air is forced therethrough it emerges from the cellular structure at a much lower temperature than when it first leaves the heating elements, and diffuses through a larger volume of air and instead of a high temperature reflected or emerging from asmall area, as is the case without the cellular structure shown, a warm air is radiated from a larger surface.

'To malte the device more eiective an electric fan 40 can be positioned to blow s curj p rent of air through a set of cells 33, past the heating units, and from thence through discharging cells 33a.

As the metal of which the radiator cells is constructed is preferably a heat conductor= the heat is readily absorbed by the thin metal forming the cells and is .diffused over the entire radiator surface, and the current of air passing through the cells carries the heat thus distributed so that a larger volume of f air is uniformly heated more quickly than if the same volume of air were blown directly upon the heating elements Without the interposition of the cellular structure.

Having described our invention We claim:

1. A heat diffusing device consisting of a cellular structure made of heat conducting material, the cells being constructed with open ends so that the air can circulate therethrough, a chamber formed Within said cellular structure, and heating means Within said chamber, the said cells being positioned so that the open ends thereof are adjacent to the heating means.

2. A heat diffusing device consisting of a cellular structure'having the cells open at the ends and'arranged so that air can readily pass through said cells, a chamber formed Within the structure, heating elements within the chamber, and means for forcing a current of air into the chamber and through the cells 'of the cellular structure and through the chamber.

3. A heat diffusing device consisting ofi; a structure ofopen cells arranged so that the air can readily pass therethrough, a space between portions of the structure, adapted for heating elements positioned Within said space, and means for forcing a draft of air through the cellular 'structure and past the heating elements.

4. A heat diffusing device consisting of heat producing elements and a cellular structure composed of a plurality of tubes arranged With their diameters parallel, the cellular structure being positioned `a spaced distance from the heater and with the open face of the cellular structure adjacent to the heating element.

ROBERT T. BOWLING. HARRY L. COBB. 

